Employee Profile: SallyNasty

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I took a shine to Sally in the forums almost straight away and we have been friends now for almost 3 years. We have a similar hunger for achievements, and the lure of the epeen enlargement through online sites like True Achievements just made it all that simpler to connect. But I want to know more about my Northern Hemisphere brother-from-another-mother. You see, Sally Nasty is a conundrum, wrapped in an enigma.

For starters, Sally is a dude, and secondly, he's one of the nicest guys you're likely to meet around these parts. So how did he settle on such an ill-fitting handle?

We dig a little deeper, it gets a little weirder.

He lives in the States, but speaks Russian, so much so, he prefers Metro 2033 to be played in it's native tongue. And he's Sassy too, CYNEP sassy!, just check out his tag (see, more Russian right there).

Ambassador of strange? He didn't help sway my partner's perception of 'teh interwebs being full of freaky peeps' when he suggested we 'boost some Cheevs' in Fable 3 early in our relationship. Sounded innocent enough, but next thing I know we're getting married and making a baby together. Cynep sassy.

Wife: What are you playing?
Me: Fable 3, just hooking up with some Goodjers online.
Wife: Which ones?
Me: Sally Nasty.
Wife: Who's she?
Me: It's a dude, it's just a Gamertag, his wife doesn't think he's playing with a monkey.
Wife: OK ... What are you doing?
Me: Ummmm ... .
Wife: What are you doing?
Me: Ermmmm, we're going to get married and make a baby.
Wife: ...
Me: Did you get that?
Wife: Yeeeeah — just processing it. So, er, Sally will be the mother?
Me: No, I'm being the lady this time.

See! Even in that exchange, through all the crazy, he manages to sidestep any kind of logical process.

So it is my honor, and also my anticipated joy, to introduce a peek-behind-the-curtain of a truly cynep Goodjer, Sally Nasty. If ever I make it stateside, we have a date on that lake of yours with a bottle of Gentleman Jack. Take it away, Chris! (Neil* sends his love).

* Fable-baby's name, Father had naming rights.

1) Who the devil are you?

Who are you, who who, who who? I am, very much by conscious decision, still very much in touch with my inner child (at least insofar as life allows me to be). I am very lucky to have a wonderful wife, who thinks that my collecting video games and Warhammer 40k figures is delightful, and two small daughters who try to destroy my collections. I am passionate about my friends, family, and hobbies. I am the anti-clocker who loves all video games. My name is Chris.

2) What are you supposed to be doing when you're reading GWJ?

Whenever I am reading GWJ — that is what I am supposed to be doing! GWJ is my outlet for conversation, deep thinking (P&C isn’t that bad, I swear!), friendship and connection.

3) When you're not working or gaming, what do you do with your time?

I definitely keep myself busy. I work out 4-5 days a week, and my wife and I really like walking (not just on the beach at night, but that is nice too). I really get a lot of enjoyment out of taking care of my house and doing household projects, and I love to read. I am a bit of a language nerd, and I love speaking and reading Russian.

I have a wonderful wife (I have to write this in case she is reading this), and two awesome daughters (three and one). I also have a fat cat, Kisa. I suppose my Xbox is meaningful to me — it should be, as much time as I spend behind it!
5) When and/or how did you get into gaming?

I clearly remember the Christmas when the Nintendo came out. I remember unwrapping the system, in its big cardboard box, and being amazed at the Nintendo robot that came with the system (which never worked, and pissed my dad off). I was the first kid on the block with the Nintendo and had quite a popularity spike until the other parents caught up with mine. I remember my dad really got into Legend of Zelda, and watching him play it was really cool. I think that is the only game my dad ever played, but it was a cool memory.
6) What is your fondest gaming memory?

One summer out in Jersey I picked up a copy of The Secret of Mana, and played through it in a couple-day binge. My younger cousins sat there and watched me play, and we all had a great time with the story. 15 years later they both approached me and told me how cool they thought that was, and I really thought it was neat that they remembered it as fondly as I did. Also, one night in college my wife and I drank a bottle of tequila and played Katamari Damacy. That was … interesting.

7) Why do you play games? Why haven't you outgrown them? (What keeps you interested in them?)

Why does everyone ask me this!? Gaming for me just keeps getting better and better. When I look at the industry, I don’t see terrible developers putting out shovelware with imposing DRM, I see people making magic. I am continually impressed by the new games coming out — the graphics, the stories, and the gameplay. There has never been a better time for games, and they just keep getting BETTER.
8) If you could live in a videogame world, which would it be? Why?

It would *not* be in the Walking Dead.
9) What is your favorite game over the last year or so? Why?

I would probably have to go with The Gunstringer. The Kinect just really worked for the game, and it was really fun. The game was super-duper campy in all the right ways, and the devs just obviously had a great time making it.
10) What is your favorite game that you’re playing right now? Why?

Pretty much whatever I am playing is my favorite game. I have been having a great time with XCOM, but am starting Space Marine tonight.
11) Which upcoming game are you looking forward to most? Why?

It is a tie between Dead Space 3 (my favorite franchise) and Aliens: Colonial Marines. I love spooky sci-fi, and Dead Space hits all the right notes. 2013 is going to be a great year for games.
12) What first brought you to GWJ? What keeps you coming back?

When I first graduated from grad school, I couldn’t find a job using my degree (Russian and East European studies/journalism) so I ended up as a courier at FedEx for 17 months. On the road I used to listen to a lot of podcasts, and iTunes recommended the conference call to me. I listened for about a year before I even realized there were forums! Like, I would assume, 99.99% of people polled, I keep coming back because of the amazing community.

13) Is there a particular forum on GWJ that you frequent/favor? Why?

I really like P&C. One of the things I miss most about grad school is the incredible conversations about politics, life, religion, and morality. Other than my wife, none of my friends out here are that political, and without P&C I just wouldn’t have an outlet for deeper conversation. It isn’t just a crazy echo chamber; there is some incredibly thought-provoking conversation there as well. I have had my thoughts and beliefs challenged, I have changed my mind about what I believe to be true, and I continue to learn.
14) What is the story behind your handle? (a.k.a. forum name)

I mentioned earlier that I was a bit of a language nerd. When I started playing online games (Warcraft 3 was my first real online experience), I was taking Estonian. In Estonian, "Hell" means "affectionate," and "Hunt" means "wolf," and I thought "Hellhunt" was a fun juxtaposition that worked in both languages. When I started playing Xbox, however, that name was already taken (I am sure by someone who didn’t get the subtleties!), and I had to come up with something new. After about an hour and a half of frustration, and trying every possible permutation that I could think of, my wife entered the room, and I tried one last handle. You see, when my wife is extra sassy, I start teasing her by saying “oh here comes Sally Nasty.” And now I have a lady name.
15) What is the story behind your tag?

"Супер" is Russian for "Super" and "Sassy" is a word that I use frequently. When you put the two together, I believe you have an accurate tagline for a guy named Sally.

16) Do you have any notable rivalries and/or friendships with someone on GWJ?

This is the toughest question to answer because it is such a long list! To name a few:

M0nkeyBoy. Through GWJ and our love of achievements, Monkey and I have sort of become pen pals off site, and his friendship means a lot to me.

ClockworkHouse. You are not as bad as you make yourself out to be. It means a lot getting to ride along with you on your journey of self-actualization.

Minarchist. Even though you gave up our shared passion for achievements and completion percentage, I still like you. Even though you are a hipster.

DrJekl. Doesn’t post much, but is one of the coolest guys around to play games with. Also, even more of an achievement whore than I am — which is impressive.

Bonus_Eruptus. Super guy, super funny, super sassy.

The IRC crowd. Tangle, Cube, RNG and the gang (I am not listing you all here just so you can see your names in print, you bastards!): You make the day go by faster, and for that I thank you.

Also, Q-Stone is a monster.

18) Thanks for taking the time to answer our hard-hitting questions! Any last words?

Thanks to the community for letting me be part of you. GWJ is a big part of my life, and my life is richer for it. Thanks to the Poobahs for setting this up and maintaining it.

Gaming for me just keeps getting better and better. When I look at the industry, I don’t see terrible developers putting out shovelware with imposing DRM – I see people making magic. I am continually impressed by the new games coming out – the graphics, the stories, and the gameplay. There has never been a better time for games – and they just keep getting BETTER.

I don't know anyone who genuinely loves and enjoys all aspects of gaming as much as Sally. He's been an inspiration to me to embrace the games I love, whatever their faults, and not be trapped by notions of what should or shouldn't be liked.

I have enjoyed my moments with the Sassy and/or Nasty One, at least before he got sick of the game and moved on to more ACHIEVEMENT WHORING . . . uh, pursuit of new gaming experiences. Also, I've never seen somebody play so many licensed movie games. Certainly not for the achievements, no.

Quintin_Stone: Nice looking c*ck you got there, dimmerswitch.
BadKen: So what you're saying is that cops can look at my dick pics without a warrant.
*Legion*: my right hand spent most of those early-teen years in that grip position